The Houston Cougars are getting support from big — and many would say unexpected — names less than 24 hours after Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby announced the conference would be reaching out to potential candidates for expansion.

The reports and rumors over the past year was Texas wanted no part of Houston in the Big 12 because of saturation of the state, battles for recruits, etc. Now, for whatever reason, Bevo is coming out in full support of the Cougars.

This doesn’t make anything a done deal for Houston — remember adding any school to the conference needs the support from eight of the 10 current Big 12 members. That being said, Texas was said to be the ring leader of the anti-Houston movement, with TCU and Texas Tech following in its shadow.

Something to keep in mind: There are six Big 12 schools outside the state of Texas, and when the Big 12 lost Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska, and Texas A&M, one of the big complaints was how UT pushed people around to get its way. So while many see this as a huge endorsement for Houston, Cougars fans might want to be careful what they wish for.